Wlcome to my Life
by londonmalfoy
Summary: Kate Aberdeen is an American pure blood who has just moved to England. Her parents friends are none other than the Malfoys. Will sparks fly between Kate and Drco? Will Kate live up to her parents expectations, or will she befriend the 'enemy', Harry Potte
1. Prolouge: Meet Kate

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Kate Aberdeen stared out of the limousine window to the passing scenery. True, England was beautiful, but it was nothing like her beloved New York. Her mind wandered through the events of the past week.

There are no castles in America, but Kate's house was certainly large enough to be a castle. It was during one of those lovely days in which summers fresh green leaves turn into a crisp gold color that her parents sat down to talk with her.

Kate's parents, who were quite wealthy and powerful, decided that they were drawing a bit too much attention to themselves here in New York. They were the only known death eaters in America. The wizarding world did not know this, but the authorities were certainly about to figure it out.

In an attempt to flee from the law, her parents decided to move to England. Their friends, who were death eaters as well, had assured them that England was the place to be while the wizarding world was on the brink of war. England had the proper society, where Kate's parents could be among other death eaters.

For Kate, there was a large wizarding school of great repute. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was well known for its vastness. However, Kate's parents were a bit reluctant to send her there for a variety of different reasons.

First of all, the headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, was a mudblood lover who allowed all sorts of filth into the school. Also, the notorious Harry Potter went to Hogwarts. According to her parents, Harry Potter was a traitor to all of wizard kind. Luckily, there was a clique of proper pure blood students that were all sorted into a house called Slytherin.

Her parents told her that she would fit in perfectly in Slytherin. Unfortunately, Kate was not looking forward to being in Slytherin. She did not want to be stuck with a bunch of stuck up snobs. Little did her parents know that she hated their take on life.

She was brought up to believe that muggles were horrible, filthy beings, that her parents didn't think even qualified for being people. Mudbloods were almost as bad as muggles. The precious world of wizards was being polluted by such low mudbloods. There were now only an elite few who were pure enough.

Once, after getting in a fight with her parents, Kate decided to go into the muggle part of New York City. Her parents would have had a fit if they knew where she was. It was then that Kate realized that muggles weren't that bad. In fact, they seemed to be quite smart for never using magic.

When her parent told her that they were moving to England, Kate was in shock. She had many friends here in New York. She went to a school for pure bloods, where she didn't want to leave. Her best friend, Meg, was not snobby, but there were plenty of girls at the school who were. However, none of the other girls dared to get on Kate's bad side. For the Aberdeen's were the most powerful and influential wizard family in all of America.

Now she was moving to a new school in a new country where she knew no one. It was any teenager's nightmare. Kate was surprised when her parents decided to take a plane and their private limo instead of floo powder. That was one good thing about them. Where most of the other girls parents thought that using muggle contraptions such as cars and airplanes were a disgrace to any pure blood who used them, Kate's parents thought that limousine's and private jets were quite luxurious.

Kate's thoughts returned to the present when the limousine stopped suddenly. She glanced out of the tinted window to see where they had arrived. There, in front of her stood a very large mansion. This was to be her new home.

Author's Note: Sorry about how slow this chapter is and the lack of conversation. This was meant to give a bit of a background before the real story begins. Please read and review! Thanks!


	2. Chpter 2: A day of Surprises

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Kate stepped out of the large stretch limousine and onto the ivory inlaid driveway. She gazed up at the magnificent mansion before her. She had thought that her home in New York was large, but this house was massive. The house was actually a castle, with immense towers. There was even a moat and a drawbridge at the entrance.

"Well, Kate, what do you think of it? Is it big enough for your taste?" Kate's father chuckled as the drawbridge was slowly lowered to the ivory drive way. Kate could only stare at the castle which was now her home. Maybe England was not as bad as she thought.

Kate and her parents crossed the draw bridge and entered the courtyard. Even with all the space that the castle took up, there were still plenty of acres of land. Kate's parent left her standing, looking at the huge grounds, and went into the house. Kate snapped out of her daze and hurried inside as well.

When she stepped inside the glorious castle, Kate found her self in a lavish room that was the loveliest shade of purple. This room had a regal air to it, and was quite intimidating. Even the furniture was gorgeous. Silver sofas lined the walls, and portraits of Kate's ancestors hung on the walls in richly decorated silver frames.

"Would miss like to see her bed chamber?" squeaked a tiny voice. Kate jumped when she heard this, for she thought that she was alone in the room. She turned and tried to find the speaker, and when she looked down, saw a small house elf staring up at her.

The house elf had large brown eyes that ere the color of hot chocolate on a cold winter day. It was dressed in a rag that looked rather like an old curtain.

"Bed chamber?" said Kate as she scrunched up her forehead in thought. "Oh, you mean bedroom! I suppose that I should start getting used to the way everyone talks here in England. But, yes, I would very much like to be shown to my bed chamber."

The little house elf smiled and began to walk up a flight of stairs, which were quite majestic looking. "Just follow me, miss."

Kate started to follow the house elf in silence, but then her curiosity got the better of her. She kept walking as she questioned, "What is your name?"

The house elf's jaw dropped in surprise that Kate was being kind. "My name is Daisy, miss. You don't have to be nice to me, though. I am just a house elf, undeserving of your kindness."

This struck Kate as being funny. Back in New York, house elves were quite rebellious. They liked to play pranks on Kate and her friends. Yet this house elf, Daisy, was very humble and meek.

"That's okay, Daisy. There's nothing wrong with me being nice to you, is there?" Kate asked lightheartedly.

Daisy's big chocolate eyes filled up with surprise and concern. "That is just not how things are done here. Us house elves know our place. We are meant to take orders from our masters and mistresses."

Kate's good mood was spoiled from this new piece of information. She was sure that every other pure blood family that she met would feel the way that Daisy had just described.

"Well, I am not from around here, now am I?" Kate said with a hint of defiance in her voice. "I don't think that it is right to be nasty to house elves. Although, I feel that I should warn you. My mother and father probably won't feel the same way as I do. They might be a bit rude and cruel."

"That is quite alright. As I said, that is how it is around here. Here is your bed chamber, miss." Daisy squeaked in her high pitched voice as she stopped in front of a black ebony door.

Before she opened the door, Kate asked Daisy a question. "Daisy, why do you always call me 'miss'? I do have a name, you know."

Daisy looked at Kate as if the answer was perfectly obvious. "Why, it is only proper, miss. Would you want me to get into trouble by being so informal? Miss will soon find out that a good house elf must know her place."

Kate rolled her eyes at this. Although she knew that if it were her own choice, house elves would be treated with a sense of decency, her parents would certainly not tolerate a house elf to be so informal. "Alright, Daisy. But if you must use the 'miss', then please call me 'Miss Kate"."

"Yes, Miss Kate. Now, if you need anything, give a holler and one of us will be there to assist you," Daisy said as she began to walk away.

Kate, turned around, and looked at the tall ebony door. She hoped that the room would please her, and that it would not be filled with books on the dark arts. She turned the solid gold door knob, and gasped when she saw the amazing room before her.

The room was colossal enough to be the size of an average person's entire house. The walls were painted a rich burgundy, which was Kate's favorite color, and had black accents. The mahogany floor was partially covered by an oriental rug. She had a large black sofa that was placed in front of a massive plasma television. The television had both wizard as well as muggle channels, and was also connected to a huge stereo system.

One whole wall was covered by an extensive fish aquarium. Angel fish swam peacefully along a replica of the Great Barrier Reef. Sea turtles drifted lazily out in the open water. Small bunches of sea horses floated through patches of sea weed and coral. However, the most breath taking thing about the aquarium was the graceful dolphin.

In the center of the astonishing room, though, was a huge bed. Wrapped along the tall bed posts was a gorgeous sheer black canopy. The bed sheets and comforter were burgundy Egyptian cotton. Kate immediately threw herself onto the bed to see how bouncy it was. The bed was quite springy, and was any girl's fantasy. In this room, Kate felt like she was a fairy tale princess.

Kate grabbed her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, and started reading. She loved the book, even if it was written by a muggle. It told the story of old world elegance, and gave her a bit of background on England. For although it was no longer the eighteenth century, wealthy pure blood families still behaved in such a manner of arranged marriages and lavish balls.

The door opened, and Daisy walked in. "Miss Kate, your mother and father would like you to come downstairs. You have company. Your mother advises to put on something suitable for greeting guests in."

Kate put down her book and sat up. "Thank you, Daisy. If that is all, you may leave."

Once Daisy left the room, Kate went over to her walk in closet that had enough clothes to fill a small mall. She selected a black satin halter top and a pair of black jeans. After closely examining all her shoes, Kate settled on a pair of black sandals.

The out fit that she had picked made Kate look tough, but pretty at the same time. She left her shoulder length black hair down, and lined her bright green eyes with black kohl. After Kate put a bit of blush on her cheeks, and smeared some clear lip gloss on her full lips, she thought that she looked presentable enough to go downstairs.

As soon as she had reached the bottom of the stairs, Kate heard peels of laughter coming from the parlor. When she went in, she saw Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy talking to her own mother and father. Draco Malfoy was lazily spread out on the sofa reading 'The Daily Prophet'.

The Malfoy's were old family friends of the Aberdeen's. Every year, ever since Kate could remember, the Malfoy's had always come to visit them, and on the rare occasion, Kate's family would visit Malfoy Manor. Lucius and Narcissa were friends of Kate's parents when they attended Hogwarts. Draco, the Malfoy's only son, was Kate's age. The two of them had always gotten along, and were good friends.

When they heard Kate enter the room, everyone looked up. "Ah, Katherine," Lucius Malfoy began, using Kate's full name. "I see that you have finally decided to join us. So, tell us, how do you like your new home so far?"

"I suppose that it is alright. Although I would much rather be back home," Kate replied. She felt like someone was watching her, and when she turned around, she saw Draco staring at her.

Kate was amazed at how different Draco looked since the last time that she had seen him. His light blonde hair, which had always been gelled back, was now tousled around in a bed head look. Years of being seeker on the Slytherin team had certainly done him good, as she could see his abs through the black muscle shirt that he was wearing. Draco's icy blue eyes glittered, and made Kate's heart melt. She had to admit it, Draco Malfoy, her childhood friend, was hot.


	3. Chapter 3: Talking with an old friend

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Draco was staring at the girl in front of him. It was hard to believe that this was the girl that he spent his childhood with. He remembered Kate as being a tomboy who was always playing outside. She was a very adventurous child who was always up for anything. But this girl in front of him was certainly not the same girl who was always playing in the mud. Kate was wearing a black halter top and jeans. She looked amazing. He would even say that she looked hot.

Kate noticed that Draco was staring at her, and immediately broke his icy blue gaze. The parents of both of the teenagers were watching as the two gazed at each other.

"Kate," her mother interrupted, "Perhaps you would like to show Draco the new house and the grounds."

"Oh!" exclaimed Narcissa excitedly, "That is an absolutely fine idea, Julia!"

At this idea, however, Kate began to panic, "Have you all forgotten that we have only just moved in this house today? I wouldn't be surprised if I get lost on my way back to my own bedroom!"

Draco noticed her panicked tone, and decided to help her out. "That doesn't matter. Malfoy Manor is just as large as this, if not larger, yet I manage to find my way around. Anyway, there will be two of us, so I'm sure that we won't get lost. And even if we do, this place doesn't seem like a bad place to be lost in."

This caused Kate to smile. Draco was still the same Draco that she knew. He always was quite nice to her. "Well, Draco, if you're up to it, I suppose that we can start exploring this place."

Draco decided to lead the way, but Kate soon caught up and was pointing out where to go. She was trying to find a door that lead to the castle grounds that she had seen from the balcony in her bedroom.

"So, Kate, what do you think of England so far?" Draco questioned as he looked down at the pretty raven haired girl who was walking beside him.

Kate looked up at Draco. He must have been about 6' 4" tall, because he towered over her although she was very tall at 5'9". She smiled; glad to know someone in this country that had winds that could chill to the bone.

"It is great! Well, no actually, who am I kidding? I hate it here," Kate muttered as he hugged herself because of the cold.

Draco was surprised to here this. Kate seemed like the type of girl who would look at the bright side of everything. "Why do you hate it here?"

"Where do I start?" Kate replied bitterly, "First of all, my parents decide to move me away from my home. I loved it there. I miss my friends from New York. Now, not only am I in a different country, I'm on a different continent! A whole ocean separates my friends and I. And tomorrow I am going to a new school where I don't know anyone!"

By the time that Kate finished her speech, Draco's jaw had dropped in shock. The whole moving issue seemed to have hit her pretty hard. "Well, look at the bright side. You know me."

Kate opened the door that was now in front of them and stepped out into a sunny, beautiful garden. Tall hedges created a maze with fountains and roses everywhere. The garden seemed magical and enchanting. Kate was amazed that this was a part of her house. She had thought that her garden at her house in New York was charming, but this was mystical.

"Are you nervous about starting at Hogwarts tomorrow?" Draco inquired.

"A bit. I have heard so many good things about Hogwarts, are they true?" Kate returned, ignoring the feeling of nervousness in her stomach.

For some reason, unknown to Kate, this comment caused Draco to smirk. "Hogwarts is actually a pretty good place to be. It make's anyone feel like they are at home. Just don't tell my parents that I said that. They hate Hogwarts because Dumbledore is such a mudblood lover. But he's just a harmless old man. Anyway, Dumbledore is the only person who you-know-who is afraid of, so therefore Hogwarts is relatively safe."

"Well that's good, I suppose. What about the other students that go to Hogwarts? Are they all snobs?" Kate inquired. She was relieved that Hogwarts was 'safe'.

"I don't think that any of the other students are snobs. Perhaps you might think that some of the Slytherin's are a bit snobby, but they would not dare say anything bad about you. I mean, you are an Aberdeen. Everyone knows that the Aberdeen's are just as powerful as the Malfoy's. However, there is a small group of Gryffindor's who are quite conceited. Saint Potter, Weasel-Bee and the Mudblood. They think that they are perfect, and that they don't need to follow the rules," Draco said bitterly. He obviously did not like these Gryffindor's.

Kate chuckled at Draco's scowl. He looked so funny when he got angry. Suddenly, a house elf came up to them. This house elf was not Daisy, for this one had blue eyes the size of saucers. It bowed politely to both Kate and Draco.

"Master Aberdeen and Master Malfoy request the presence of both Miss Kate and Master Draco in the front hall. They said that Master Draco is to be prepared to leave," squeaked the tiny elf.

Draco felt a bit sad to learn that he would be leaving so shortly. He was just starting to get to know Kate more than he already did. Kate seemed different, somehow, to the other girls he knew. All the girls at Hogwarts thought that he was hot, and were all really quite desperate. That horrible Pansy Parkinson was the girl that really annoyed him. Pansy followed Draco around where ever he went, and would not stop chattering about their future together. One time, she had even tried to follow him into the loo.

Kate was different, though. She was honest with him, not just telling him what he wanted to hear. She seemed adventurous and fun to be around. She took control of situations without being bossy like Granger always is. Draco could not wait until she was at Hogwarts with him. Then, he could see her anytime he wanted to.

"Draco?" Kate asked out of the blue.

Draco turned around to look at Kate, curious to know what she was wondering about. "Yes? What is it?"

Kate looked unsure and hesitant of what she was about to say. "I was wondering if..."

'Whatever she is curious about must be serious' Draco thought to himself. He wanted to let her know that she could tell him anything. "What were you wondering, Kate? It's okay, you can ask me anything."

"Alright, but you have to promise that you won't get mad," Kate announced.

"I promise that I won't get mad," Draco said. The way that Kate was acting made it seem like whatever she was about to say was top secret.

"Well, I was wondering if... if your parents are death eaters," Kate stated cautiously, her pale cheeks slowing turning bright red.

Kate's question caught Draco off guard. It was no wonder that she was being so secretive and careful. It is not safe to go around asking random people whether their parents were death eaters or not. "I am assuming that your parents are death eaters as well, if you are asking me that question. Tell no one of this conversation, but yes, my parents are death eaters."

Kate looked quite relieved at hearing Draco's confession. "Do people at Hogwarts know that your parents are death eaters?"

"Last year, Harry Potter had a magazine interview in which he named a lot of death eaters. Among them, he named my father. But I do not parade that fact around school." Draco replied.

"I do not want anyone to know that my parents are even associated with the dark arts, let alone that they are death eaters. Please do not give any indication that my parents are death eaters, for I fear that if other students know that, then they shall see me in a completely new light. I am afraid that they shall see me as a monster, such as my parents are." Kate stated, her face grave with seriousness.

"Why do you think that shall happen? Draco asked Kate, his icy blue eyes filled with concern.

Kate looked down at the ground below her. She seemed a bit gloomy when she answered. "At my old school in New York, that is what happened right before we moved. There are no other death eaters in America, but we have certainly read about the horrible death eaters in the news. So, when everyone found out that my parents were death eaters, they simply assumed that I was one as well."

Draco stared at the solemn girl in front of him. He lifted Kate's chin so that her bright green eyes were gazing into his own pale blue ones. Her eyes were about to overflow with tears.

"Listen to me, Kate. Don't ever let anyone tell you who you are or who you should be. You are an amazing girl, whom I am honored to call my friend. Anyone who doesn't see that is an idiot." Draco whispered to her.

Kate managed to smile at this, and threw her arms around Draco. He was a bit taken aback at this gesture, but returned the hug. Kate was smiling at him, which nearly made his heart melt. Draco couldn't think of anything other than Kate, and how beautiful she looked when she was happy.

"Draco? Where have you been? We sent that bloody house elf out here fifteen minutes ago!" said the deadly voice of Lucius Malfoy from behind them.

Draco turned around to find his father, whom looked very angry, behind him. "Sorry, father. I guess that we lost track of time."

Lucius looked from Draco to Kate and sneered, "I see. Well, we are leaving now. Don't worry. The two of you shall see each other at Hogwarts tomorrow. Now come, Draco."

Draco started to follow his father, but stopped and turned back to say farewell to Kate. "Good bye, Kate. I shall see you tomorrow."

Kate looked rather glum, as she replied with a look of longing in her eyes, "Good bye, Draco. In the words of William Shakespeare, Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I shall say good bye until it be morrow."

b Authors note: how do you all like this chapter? Finally we see more of Draco! Well, please read and review! /b 


	4. Chapter 4: New Alliances

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

"One... two... three..." Kate said slowly, trying to calm herself down. She had butterflies in her stomach, which was already ties up in knots. Today Kate was going to board the Hogwarts Express, which would take her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Just like any other teen would be, Kate was impatient and a bit scared of her first day at a new school. She was relived, however that she knew Draco. But she also wanted to be able to make new friends. When she arrived at the train station, Kate promised herself that she would not let anybody know that she was nervous or scared.

Kate looked in her extravagant walk in closet, trying to find the perfect outfit. She could not wear her preference of clothes, because her pure blood parents would deeply disapprove. Kate preferred to wear her large, comfortable band t-shirts. This was a conflict with her parents because the bands were muggle. She had shirts of such bands as Simple Plan, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Cheap Trick, and her personal favorite, The Clash.

If her parents ever found out that Kate owned muggle band shirts, or even knew the names of muggle bands, she would be in a great deal of trouble. Her father would probably perform the Cruciatus Curse on her if he ever found out. Kate painfully remembered the last time that he did that.

It was one year ago, when Kate was about fifteen at the time. Her parents were attending the annual death eater masquerade ball. This was the only time that they had allowed Kate to come with them. Once they had arrived, her parents were introducing her to other death eater families. Eventually, they introduced her to Voldemort. Kate could immediately tell that he was a cruel, horrid man who delighted in the pain of others.

When he told her that she was a charming girl; and that he couldn't wait until she joined the ranks of the death eaters, Kate told him to go to hell. This of course, did not sit too well with her parents. They left the party early, after apologizing profusely many times. When they arrived back home, her father performed the unforgivable curse, and then they locked her in her room for a month.

After that horrible experience, Kate learned to keep her rude comments and opinions to herself. Whenever she was in the presence of her parents, Kate acted with the utmost politeness. However, whenever they were gone, Kate acted like her usual self. She would speak her mind and voice her opinions, even if others disagreed.

Kate's mind returned to her present dilemma of what to wear. After a close inspection, she picked a rich burgundy halter top, and paired it with black jeans. She couldn't wear her skater shoes while her parents were with her, so she chose a pair of black flip flops.

She used her wand to curl her raven colored hair into loose ringlets. She used a black kohl pencil to line her vibrantly green eyes, and put on some burgundy lipstick to match her shirt. After examining herself in a mirror, Kate decided that she defiantly produced a 'don't- mess- with- me' vibe.

The door opened and Daisy entered the room. "Miss Kate must leave now. Mistress Aberdeen says that Miss Kate must go downstairs and ride in the limousine. She says that while you are at school, Miss Kate must bring honor to the family name."

Kate grabbed her purse and her magically enchanted CD player, and began to walk away. However, Daisy suddenly burst out saying, "Oh Miss Kate! I shall miss you greatly! You are so kind to poor little Daisy! Please remember Daisy! Daisy shall certainly remember you!"

Daisy's confession surprised Kate. She had known that Daisy was grateful for her kindness, but Kate had no idea that she had affected the house elf so much. "Of course I won't forget you, Daisy! What on earth gave you such an idea?"

"Daisy is just a lowly house elf, Miss Kate. You have no reason to remember me," Daisy replied.

Kate smiled. Daisy needed to gain some self esteem. Of course, that would be impossible when Daisy's masters were Kate's parents. "Well, there is no need to worry, Daisy. I shall not forget you. But, alas, I must leave now. Take good care of yourself while I am away at school. Farewell."

After saying good bye to Daisy, Kate headed out of the front door. There, waiting in the drive, was the Aberdeen's sleek black stretch hummer limousine. Kate would have liked much more to be driving her own red Porsche convertible, but since it was a one way trip to the train station, it was better to have a chauffer.

Kate stared out at the passing scenery. She hoped that she would soon reach London, for she was excited about the day ahead of her. After about two hours, the limousine finally pulled up to Kings Cross Station. Kate looked at her ticket to find the platform. She was shocked to see that the ticket said that she must go to Platform 9 ¾.

The station was busy as Kate walked towards platforms nine and ten. She pushed along her trolley, hoping that none of the muggles would make a comment about the fact that she had her midnight black owl, Darkness, with her. She was then lucky enough to see two other girls, who were chattering endlessly, also pushing trolleys with owls.

To Kate's great surprise, both girls ran into the barrier in between platforms nine and ten, and then disappeared. This was a clever disguise, Kate thought as she prepared to do the same. She closed her eyes, and ran as fast as she possibly could into the stone barrier, hoping that she would not have the misfortune to crash.

When she opened her eyes, Kate saw that she was standing on a new platform. In the center was a bright red train labeled 'The Hogwarts Express'. She made her way over to the door, and attempted to pull up her very large suitcase. She was thankful that over the summer, she had spent many hours in her family's private gym.

Kate walked down the corridor until she found an empty compartment. She was not about to beg anybody to share one with her, so she settled on sitting alone. Suddenly the rain started moving, and Kate found herself thrown forward by the jolt of the train. Voices drifted into her compartment from the corridor.

"The whole train is filled up! Even Neville has no more room in his compartment," said a boy's voice that was whining.

"Well what do you expect? If you want to find a compartment, you should have gotten on the train a bit earlier when I told you to, shouldn't you?" said a girl's voice in a very bossy and irritated tone.

"Not everybody is a perfectionist like you," laughed a third voice that belonged to a boy.

"Excuse me! I am NOT a perfectionist!" the girl replied haughtily.

"What about this compartment?" said the boy who was whining as he stopped in front of Kate's compartment. The door opened to reveal a tall and lankly boy with flaming red hair.

"Do you mind if we join you? Every where else is full," said the red head with a look of curiosity on his face.

Kate nodded, and he walked in and sat down in the seat across from her. After him came the girl. She was about five and a half feet tall, with very bushy brown hair. Her eyes were round and chocolate colored. She had no make up on her face, but was still a bit pretty. She sat in the seat next to the red headed boy.

The third boy was tall, with unruly black hair and green eyes that were hidden behind round glasses. On his head was a scar in the shape of a bolt of lightning. This was obviously the famous Harry Potter. Ever since Lord Voldemort's return last year, Harry's face was plastered on the cover of every magazine and newspaper. He sat in the last empty seat beside Kate.

The boy with the red hair was the first to speak. "Who are you? I don't believe that I have ever seen you before."

"My name is Kate Aberdeen. I just moved here from New York. Who are all of you?" Kate replied, not necessarily in the mood for conversation.

The girl with the bushy hair excitedly answered, "My name is Hermione Granger. And this is Ron Weasly, and Harry Potter. Are you a sixth year? I hope so, because we are in sixth year as well. Do you know what house you are in? Why did you move here from New York?"

Harry chuckled at Hermione's impatience. "Slow down, Hermione. Give Kate a chance to speak, would you?"

Kate smiled as Hermione shot Harry a withering glance. "Yes, I am in sixth year. I don't know what house I shall be in; the letter that I received informed me that I would be sorted upon arrival."

"Well, I can certainly tell that you are an American. Your accent stands out quite a bit. How come you moved to England?" questioned Ron.

Kate quickly thought of some lie to tell them. She did not want her new friend's to know that her parents were death eaters. Especially since Harry was famous for defeating Voldemort and the death eaters. "My father was offered a new position here at the British ministry."

Ron looked at Kate with a sudden look of realization on his face. "What did you say that your surname war again?"

"Um... Aberdeen. Why?" Kate questioned nervously. She hoped that it was not a known fact that her parents were death eaters.

"I remember my dad told me that your father was appointed a job at the ministry. The Aberdeen's are a powerful family. Almost as powerful as the Malfoy's. Blimey! That must mean that you are filthy rich, doesn't it?" Ron said incredulously.

Kate was quite relieved that they did not know her horrible secret. "Yes, I suppose that my family is powerful and rich. But there are much more important things than being rich. I mean, it really doesn't matter if I'm rich while there are wizards out there dying in this horrid war, does it?"

Harry looked at Kate, silently admiring her. 'Now there is a girl who is gorgeous as well as deep. Look at the way that she just spoke with so much compassion,' he thought.

The four of them went on talking and joking for about an hour. Kate found that Ron was quite funny, perhaps bit daft, though. Hermione was very brainy and bossy, always correcting everyone's grammar. Harry, Kate noticed, was mostly silent, but when he did speak, he was sincere.

Then the compartment door slid open and someone walked in. They started to talk in a bored, drawling voice that sounded too familiar to Kate. "Well, I see that you dunderheads are back for another year, unfortunately. So scar head, how is life as a celebrity treating you? Still think that you are amazing and worthy of our time? What about you Weasel- Bee? Did your family win any gold to buy you some new robes yet? And I see that you, Mudblood, have not yet figured out how to tame that bush that's growing out of your head. And you-"

Draco stopped, realizing that the girl whom he was about to insult was Kate. Kate was simply staring at him, shocked that this mean guy was the same person whom she hugged yesterday.

b Authors note: hehe, now Kate knows how mean that Draco can be. Will she still be friends with him? Keep reading to find out! PLEASE REVIEW! /b 


	5. Chapter 5: Pride and Prejudice

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Kate stared at Draco, shocked that he could be so nasty. He had just deeply insulted her new friends, and would have insulted her if he had not recognized her at the last moment. Yesterday he was so nice and kind to her, but this Draco was a completely different person.

Draco was quite surprised to see Kate staring back at him. He came into the compartment and started to taunt the Golden Trio, just like he always did, when he saw her. Why would she be sitting with them? He had told her to stay away from them, and there was no doubt that her mother and father must have told her to keep away from Harry Potter. Yet here she was, sitting in their compartment, chatting with them as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Now she was staring at him with a look of hurt, betrayal, and even disgust on her face.

"Kate. What are you doing in here?" Draco questioned.

"What does it look like? I am obviously sitting here, talking with my friends. Or at least I was until you came in and so rudely interrupted us," Kate replied coldly.

Draco was amazed that Kate, who seemed so quiet and soft spoken yesterday, was now quite strong willed and headstrong. She certainly knew how to stand up for herself. "Well, I forgive you Kate. You must not have known the filth that you are sitting with; Potter, Weasel- face, and that garbage Granger. They are not fit to be your servants, let alone your friends."

"Excuse me? Don't you dare presume to tell me who I can befriend, and who I can't. You have no such right to dictate how I shall live my life. Yesterday, you may have had me fooled in believing that you were a gentleman, but now I see that you are nothing more than an arrogant git who believes that he is better than everyone else simply because his family is pure blooded." Kate announced, glaring at the blonde boy in front of her. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all mesmerized by the scene that was unfolding in front of them.

His sparkling blue eyes turned into steely silver as he replied, "You call me arrogant? That whole speech sounded quite snobby to me."

"You want to know what, Draco Malfoy? The very sight of you disgusts me. Get out of here now, or I swear that I will hex you!" Kate stated, with her hands on her hips and her wand out to emphasize her point.

Draco slowly turned around and walked out of the train compartment. Kate sank back into her seat next to Harry.

"How do you know Malfoy?" Harry asked Kate after a few moments silence.

"The Malfoy's are old family friends. Our parents went to Hogwarts together when they were younger. Yesterday they came over to welcome us into our new home and Draco and I talked for a little while," Kate explained to her friends.

Ron cringed at hearing this and said, "Wow. You are friends with the Malfoy's? You are friends with Draco? How could you stand it? I would have gone mad."

"Yes, well, we are not all as thick as you, Ron," Hermione finally spoke up.

The rest of the trip past without incident until Kate decided to change into her robes. Hermione told her to just go to the bathroom to change, so Kate followed her advice.

When she put on her robe, she smiled at her appearance. The Hogwarts robes were black, which was Kate's favorite color. At her old school in New York, which was an all girls academy, the school robes were pink. Kate abhorred pink, and the robes were in a particularly horrid shade of pastel pink.

As soon as Kate walked out of the bathroom door, a strong hand grabbed her, and dragged her into an empty compartment. Before she had a chance to scream, another hand was clamped over her mouth. Her captor spun her around, and Kate found herself staring t none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Listen to me, Kate. I just want to talk with you," Draco said quietly and calmly.

Kate managed to free herself from his grip. "You wanted to talk to me so you kidnap me instead? Oh, that is real nice, Draco. You're a real gentleman."

"I just wanted to talk with you before we arrived at school. I was afraid that if I asked you to talk with me, you would laugh in my face," Draco explained.

"How could you think such a thing? Do you think me heartless and cruel?" Kate replied, still glaring angrily at Draco.

"Of course not. It is simply that you seem rather unpredictable, and I did not know if it would provoke rejection from you," Draco said. Kate mumbled something under her breath, and Draco said, "What did you say?"

Kate responded with a look of innocence on her face, "All I said was that at least I was not the one who was being quite rude not too long ago."

Draco sighed in exasperation. Kate would obviously not drop the subject. "Listen, Kate, I'm sorry. Alright? I am apologizing. It is just that Potter and I have been enemies ever since the first day on the train. Weasel face has always been hot tempered, so we never got along either."

"What about Hermione? What is your prejudice against her?" Kate questioned.

"Well, it is just that she is a mudblood. She is a filthy mudblood. Surely you knew that! Why would you befriend such scum?" Draco answered accusingly.

Kate glared at Draco in disgust. "Perhaps I befriended her because she is nice, and because I am not a prejudiced pig like you are."

"I already apologized. I mean, I'm sorry that you are offended that your friends and I don't exactly get along, but there is nothing more that I can do. We just don't get along, okay? Anyways, do you honestly want the truth? If I wasn't the one who came in to insult them, they would have come to insult me. So I'm sorry that you don't like it, but we just don't get along. That is something that you are just going to have to live with," Draco declared, carefully watching Kate's reaction. He expected her to yell, or perhaps even slap him, but instead she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright. I know what you mean. However, they are still my friends, so I am going to ask you to be polite when I am with them. Can you handle it?" Kate asked Draco.

Draco's pale face was etched with annoyance s he agreed, "Fine, but do I have to be polite?"

"You do not have to go out of your way to be courteous and polite, but I do expect you to at least treat them with civility. That means that you must not make any rude comments or insults." Kate said as she stuck out her hand.

Draco clasped Kate's warm hand as he replied, "Fine, you win. I promise that I shall be civil."

Suddenly, the train came to a quick halt. The suddenness of the stop made Kate fall backwards, right into Draco's strong arms. She felt different, at ease while she was in his arms. She felt like he could protect against anything.

Draco was surprised when Kate fell into his arms. Shockingly, he didn't push her off of him, like he would have if anyone else had fell into his arms. A few moments passed by until he cleared his throat. Kate immediately stood up, her fair cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

"Sorry about that. I never did have good balance," Kate apologized, not looking Draco in the eye.

"That's alright. Anyway, I believe that we just arrived at Hogwarts," Draco replied warmly.

Kate's eye's lit up when Draco told her that she had finally arrived at Hogwarts. "You mean we are actually here? We are actually at Hogwarts?"

"Well, we are at Hogsmeade Station, but we just have a short ride in the carriages, and we will be at Hogwarts." Draco said.

"Good bye, Draco, I really should go and find Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I suppose that I shall see you soon, though. Farwell." Kate told Draco as she slowly started to walk away and get off the train.

Authors note: Thank you to ALL THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE TIME OUT TO REVIEW. Sorry it took so long to update, but I got grounded from the computer. I hope that you liked the chapter! Bye!


	6. Chapter 6: Headstrong

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Kate stepped off of the Hogwarts Express and into the crisp autumn air. A sign above the platform said in faded gold letters 'Hogsmeade Station'. Park benches lined the walkway that led to a larger road.

She looked around the platform for her new friends, but saw no sign of them. Since she was separated from Harry, Hermione, and Ron, Kate decided to head over to the main road to see if they were over there. Instead of finding her friends, however, the majority of the road was taken up by strange, horseless carriages.

These carriages were a deep mahogany brown, with gold handles. But it was quite bizarre, for there were no horses to lead and pull the carriages. Kate stood there, gazing at the weird carriages, until she heard her name being shouted.

"Kate!" Hermione yelled from a carriage a few yards away. "Kate, come here! Here is a carriage!"

She was relieved to know that her new friends had not forgotten about her, and had saved her a seat in the carriage. Kate was comfortable when she saw the inside of the carriage, which was red plush velvet interior.

"So, Kate, where have you been?" Ron questioned with a look of curiosity on his face.

"Yeah, what took you so long?" Harry added to Ron's previous question.

"I went to go change into my new robes. When I was finished, I ran into Draco Malfoy. He apologized for his extreme lack of manners. He said that you have not gotten along since the first day on the train. Is that true?" Kate asked the trio.

This time Hermione spoke up. "Yes, it is quite true. Draco Malfoy has always been a twitchy, little, annoying, rude, conceited, arrogant ferret. Throughout the years, we have all always gotten into some sort of fight, usually because of his rudeness. Unfortunately, though, Harry and Ron still have not realized that it would be best to ignore him."

Kate smiled at Hermione's speech. "The Draco that I know does not seem to be as rude and arrogant as you claim he is. Except for his little outburst today, he has been the perfect gentleman that I have known him to be."

"You are not going out with him, are you?" Harry asked Kate with a deep look of disgust etched into his face.

"Of course I am not going out with him! What gave you such a ridiculous idea? Draco and I are just friends. We most certainly are not dating!" Kate laughed.

Harry looked strangely relieved as the carriage pulled up to a magnificent castle. Towers spiraled up into the night time sky, and the stained glass windows created a warm rosy glow on the surrounding stone wall. This castle that would be her home for the rest of the school year was completely gorgeous, even better and larger than her own home. The atmosphere of this place was warm and inviting, making Kate feel quite at home.

As the four friends got out of the carriage and ascended the stone pathway up to the large castle, something big and wet hit Kate in the shoulder. She looked down and saw the remains of a red water balloon at her feet. An evil sounding cackle made Kate look up. To her surprise, she saw a poltergeist.

"PEEVES!" screamed an old, but stern looking woman who was standing at the tall entrance doors. Her face was white and contorted with rage as she watched Peeves the poltergeist throw more water balloons on the unexpecting students below.

Harry leaned in and started to whisper into Kate's ear. "Don't mind Peeves. Every year, he always throws water balloons at the students. You would think he would be a bit more creative and do something else."

When they had entered through the large oak doors, the smell of baked pumpkin pie wafted through the Great Hall. The smell made Kate's eyes water, and her mouth water. Any doubts that she had about this new school were immediately banished.

The Great Hall was an amazing sight. There appeared to be no ceiling, just the night sky that was filled with bright stars. The tables seemed to be divided into five distinct sections. At the front of the Great Hall, was an elevated table that was decorated with red, blue, green, and yellow. It seemed like this was the table in which the staff sat at.

To the right, there was another section of tables. These tables were decorated with yellow and brown. Above the table, was a banner with a picture of a badger. The banner read 'Hufflepuff'.

To the left, at a table that was made up of blue and black sat another group of students. A banner, which held a picture of a raven, said 'Ravenclaw'.

In the back of the Great Hall, was yet another cluster of tables. These were green and silver, and according to the serpent banner, was the 'Slytherin' table. At this table, sat Draco along with some people that one would assume were his friends.

Next to the Slytherin table was the last table. This was decorated with the colors of red and gold. The banner, which showed a lion, said that this was the great 'Gryffindor' table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down at this table. Kate was about to join them when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.

When Kate turned around, she found herself face to face with the stern looking woman who had yelled at Peeves. "Miss Aberdeen, you are not to sit at a table until you are sorted. My name is professor McGonagall. Now please follow me so that you can be sorted."

And without saying another word, McGonagall turned around and started walking towards the front of the hall. Kate followed her, and was surprised when they stopped in front of a stool. On the stool sat a very old and worn looking patched up hat.

"Will everybody please be quiet? That's better. Now, before we start the sorting ceremony, I would like to introduce you all to a new student who has just moved here from New York. She is in sixth year, and her name is Kate Aberdeen," announced McGonagall in front of the whole school.

Kate began to turn into her favorite color, burgundy, as all of the other students just stared at her. Although she liked attention, and could sometimes be a drama queen, Kate was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Fortunately for her, the hat had begun to sing.

i "Throughout all my years

And frights and fears

There has never been

Peace with in.

Slytherin is clever and sly

But they can be mean and certainly not shy

Gryffindor is courageous and brave

But can not have the peace they crave

Ravenclaw is smart and wise

But can not get along with those they despise

Hufflepuff is nice and kind

But inner strength they can not find.

Now war has begun

And there shall be no more fun

Houses take heed

Take no stock in breed

Houses shall unite

If darkness shall be defeated by light. /i 

When the hat had finished its song, the Great Hall was filled with whispers. However, McGonagall silenced the students, and told Kate to sit down and put on the hat. The hat was much too large, even for Kate.

"You are hard to place. You are a pure blood, clever, manipulative, ambitious, and clever. Those are the perfect traits for Slytherin. But I sense something even deeper still. You are bold, courageous, and brave. This will most certainly be quite helpful in the future. So therefore, I shall place you in GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat was removed from Kate's head, and she saw the Gryffindor table clapping loudly for her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked absolutely thrilled. Draco, on the other hand, looked upset and sympathetic. Kate sat down among her new housemates, where she was greeted with much enthusiasm.

"Well done, Kate!" exclaimed Harry as Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. I am glad that I was put in Gryffindor. That hat nearly put me in Slytherin!" Kate replied

Suddenly, food appeared on the table. There was every sort of food imaginable from roasted chicken to baked potatoes to garden salads. Kate eagerly helped herself to a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy. She took a drink from her goblet and noticed that whatever the drink was, although it was quite good, she had never tasted it before.

When she inquired about what the excellent drink was, Hermione replied, "why, that is pumpkin juice. Haven't you ever had pumpkin juice before?"

Kate nearly spit the pumpkin juice out over the table. Instead, she spit it back into her goblet. She gagged as she asked, "Pumpkin juice!"

What she had mistaken for the smell of pumpkin pie, was the smell of pumpkin juice. To Kate's surprise, a small house elf appeared next to her.

"Is Miss displeased with her drink? Would Miss like for me to get you another drink?" squeaked the house elf politely.

"Yes, please. I would like a goblet of apple cider," Kate replied. The house elf took her goblet and scurried off to the kitchen.

Hermione's eyes were flashing with anger as she demanded, "What do you think that you are doing, ordering the house elf around like that?"

"A house elf is supposed to be ordered around, Hermione. That is its job," Kate replied.

"Oh really? House elves have feelings too, you know. They are not slaves that you can boss around any time that your heart desires. I suppose that you live in a large manor that is filled with house elves, don't you?" Hermione exclaimed angrily.

"As a matter of fact, yes Aberdeen Manor does have a lot of house elves. What are we supposed to do, clean the house ourselves? The house is much too big for that," Kate replied coldly.

Hermione's face was red with anger as she said, "Yes, it would not hurt you to get off your lazy pure blood arse and do some work. The sorting hat would have done good to put you in Slytherin. It is no wonder that you are friends with Malfoy, because are a pure blood snob just like he is. Anyway, house elves have rights!"

Kate laughed at the ridiculous comment and said, "Rights? Since when do house elves have rights, Hermione?"

"House elves have always had rights; they are just too shy to stand up for themselves. Anyway, once S.P.E.W. gets up and running, house elves will have a lot more rights. But they will never have rights while people like you are ordering them around. You probably treat them like dirt!" Hermione said heatedly.

Throughout the argument, Kate had been lighthearted. She thought that Hermione was a bit dramatic with the whole house elf issue, but this comment made her blood boil with anger. "Don't you dare accuse me of mistreating my house elves! I know more about them than you ever will, and yet you accuse me of such cruelty? You don't really know me, and after that, I hope you never do!"

And with that, Kate stood up abruptly so that the table shook and spilled Ron's pea soup all over his maroon sweater. She flung her chair into the table and stormed upstairs, unsure of her destination.

Author's note: oooooooh, cat fight! Will Kate be reconciled with the trio? Only one way to find out!

b Ashmee /b - thanks. I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter. As I said, sorry for the wait.

b MerndaSaysDownWithWormtail /b You like it? That's good. Think that there is enough drama yet?


	7. Chapter 7: I'm Just A Kid

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Kate stormed out of the Great Hall in a rage. Hermione was acting so stupid just because Kate asked a house elf to get her a drink. Kate had thought that Hermione's obsession with house elves rights was funny, but then she went too far. Hermione had accused Kate of being cruel to them, and although that was not true, Kate's parents ere the type of people of whom Hermione had accused Kate as being. Kate treated house elves with respect and curtsey; in fact, she was appalled at how her mother and father treated them. All Kate did was politely ask to have some apple cider, yet Hermione made a big deal out of it.

All these thoughts filled Kate's head as she was walking up a staircase. Suddenly, the staircase moved. Kate grasped the railing and stood paralyzed as the staircase moved to another landing. When it stopped, she quickly ran up to the next landing, not that anxious to repeat the experience.

She stumbled onto the unknown floor just as the staircase moved again. 'Great,' Kate thought. 'Now I'm in a he castle in which I have never been in before, and now I'm all alone in a deserted corridor.'

"Who are you?" asked someone from behind Kate. She turned around and saw a short girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes staring at her. The girl was wearing a purple sweater and jeans.

"My name is Kate Aberdeen. I just moved here," Kate replied.

"Oh yeah," the girl said with a look of realization on her face. "You are the girl who they were sorting. The new girl. By the way, my name is Lavender. Lavender Brown. So where are you from?"

"I just moved here from New York, and I miss it. I wish that I could go back," Kate replied wistfully.

"Why do you want to go back?" Lavender asked curiously.

"I just got into a fight with this girl who I just met on the train," Kate said glumly.

"Oh really? Who was it?" Lavender questioned anxiously.

"Her name is Hermione Granger. I met her, as well as Harry and Ron on the train. Then, at the feast, I didn't like the pumpkin juice, so a house elf came and took it away. Hermione started on this whole long speech about how house elves should have rights and stuff."

Lavender laughed at this. "Yeah, that is Hermione. She always has her nose in a book or in other people's business. So, are you in sixth year?"

"Yes, actually, I am. I am also in Gryffindor. Is it just me, or did that strange hat say that the houses don't get along?" Kate asked.

"The hat is right. Gryffindor's and Slytherin's are mortal enemies. We get along with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw well enough, but not Slytherin," Lavender informed her.

Kate yawned loudly and said, "Well, I'm tired. Do you know where our dormitories are?"

Lavender started walking as she said, "Yes, of course I do. So, have you seen anybody that you fancy yet?"

"No, not yet. I haven't really met any people yet. Are there any hot guys here at Hogwarts?" Kate replied.

"Don't worry; you'll meet plenty of people in the common room. And yes, Hogwarts has its share of good looking guys. But I'll tell you who has certainly gotten better over the summer. Draco Malfoy. He always was kind of hot, but now he is on fire! Wait until you see him, you will just die," Lavender giggled.

Kate was a bit taken aback by this confession. So Draco was known for his good looks? He probably had girls lining up. "Draco Malfoy? I already know him. We are good friends. His family came to welcome us when we moved into our new house. Our parents have been friends since they went to Hogwarts together."

Lavenders jaw dropped at this bit of news. "You are best friends with Draco Malfoy? He was at your house? Why was I never informed?"

Laughter filled Kate as she replied, "Are all the girls in Hogwarts in love with Draco? We are just friends."

Lavender smiled, knowing that they were 'just friends' as the two girls arrived in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress. As al paintings in the wizarding world, this one moved. "Password?" she asked.

"Dragon Flame's," Lavender stated clearly. The fat lady nodded, and the portrait swung open to reveal a passage way. Through the passage was a large circular room. This room was decorated in all sorts of red and gold. Red overstuffed couches surrounded a huge fireplace. A roaring fire gave the room a nice, welcoming, rosy glow.

Students sat on the couches, catching up with each other and talking about their summers. Some were flipping through magazines, and others were just enjoying the warm fire. Lavender smiled and said, "Home, sweet home."

"Come on, Kate. Let's go upstairs to our dormitories. Then you can meet Parvati and the other girls," Lavender said as she pulled Kate up a flight of stairs.

The two girls stopped in front of a crimson door. When the door opened, Kate found herself staring at a fairly large burgundy room. Five large four poster beds were pushed up against the far wall. Each bed had a canopy of gold sheer cloth, and blankets with the Gryffindor lion embroidered on them.

At the foot of the beds, were everybody's trunks. On the wall across from the beds, was an open space for each girl. One girl had a stereo, which must have been magically enchanted to work. Another door led to a very large walk in closet, which was big enough to hold all of the girl's clothes.

Last but not least, was what could quite possibly be the best thing in the whole room. Each girl had their own private bathroom. The bathtub was large enough to be a small swimming pool, with all sorts of scrumptious shower gels and bubble baths. Kate was happy to see that she had different kinds of jasmine scented bath products, for that was her favorite scent. The mirror in the bathroom took up a whole wall, save for a vanity in which Kate could fill with all of her make up.

While Kate was busy admiring the room, two other girls walked in. One girl had black hair and honey colored eyes. She was dressed in a pink baby doll shirt and jeans. The other girl was tall, but not as tall as Kate, with blonde hair and eyes that were so dark, they were nearly black. She was wearing a Weird Sisters hoodie sweater.

"Hey Lavender," began the girl with the black hair. "How come I didn't see you after the feast?"

Lavender looked up from the gossip magazine that she was reading, and said, "Oh, hi Parvati. I was showing Kate here to the common room. Kate just moved here from New York. She is a sixth year, like us."

"Well, hello Kate. My name is Parvati. So, you're from America, huh? I have always wanted to go there," Parvati said.

The blonde girl was staring at her wile Parvati was talking, and now decided to say something. "You are the girl that Hermione was talking about. She said that you were a pure blood snob who belonged in Slytherin."

"That is Rose. She is always so blunt, it's not just you," said Lavender.

Kate was still red with embarrassment from Rose's comment. "Yes, Hermione and I got into a fight. I asked a house elf for a different drink and she started freaking out on me. I mean, I was being polite and everything, but Hermione was mad."

Then, as if to emphasize the point, the door opened, and in walked Hermione. She was clutching a bunch of books, evidence that she had already visited the library. When she saw the four girls talking, she held her chin high and walked over to her bed. The thick book in which she was reading was entitled, 'Hogwarts, a History'.

Eventually, the other girls went to bed as well. Lavender and Parvati were whispering about the contents of the latest addition of 'Witch Weekly'. Rose was asleep, snoring softly.

Kate pulled out her CD player that was magically enchanted to work, even though muggle devices usually went haywire near Hogwarts. She turned on her favorite song, '1985', by Bowling for Soup. She listened to it until she fell sound asleep, escaping from the real world, and entering a world of dreams.

Authors note: Finally, the day is over! I never used to be able to make stories long, but now I think that I'm getting the hang of it! I got the song 1985 stuck in my head, so I thought that I'd add that as one of Kate's favorite songs.

Ashmee- Yeah, I guess Kate is a little bit of a hypocrite. But deep down inside, we are all hypocrites in one way or another. And also, Hermione was being a bit dramatic.


	8. Chapter 8: White Wedding

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

"Miss needs to go to her classes," said a small house elf that was standing in the doorway of the nearly empty room. Kate sat in an overstuffed chair, looking out at Hogwarts extensive grounds.

The house elf walked over to Kate and began to pull on her 'The Clash' band shirt. Kate ignored it until the house elf repeated, "You need to go to class, Miss. Everybody is waiting for you. They all want to see you, but they won't be nice."

Kate was getting annoyed with the house elf's chatter, and said, "Leave me alone! I don't want to go to class!"

Suddenly, the house elf turned into Hermione. Hermione was scowling deeply as she said, "How dare you talk to a house elf like that? You are such a pureblood snob! Nobody likes you; they all think that you are a spoiled, rich snob!"

Hermione then disappeared as quickly as she arrived. Kate closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened her eyes, she was at the front of a classroom. Everybody was gaping at her.

Kate looked down and saw that she was wearing the costume of a jester. This alone was a scary thought, since Kate was deeply afraid of clowns. Kate screamed as everyone in front of her started pointing at her and laughing.

"Kate, Kate!" said someone in a faraway sounding voice. Kate opened her eyes to find Parvati and Lavender staring at her. The clock next to her bed declared that it was 8 am. Kate rubbed her eyes and forced herself to sit up.

She had not gone to classes yet at all. It was all a bad dream; a result of her nervousness about her first day of classes at a new school. Kate was relieved that none of her dream was true, for that would have been terrible.

Kate got herself out of bed and walked into her bathroom. She took a shower using her jasmine scented shampoo and conditioner. When she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped a fluffy crimson towel around her, and walked over to her dresser.

After closely examining all possible clothing choices, Kate selected a pair of black dress pants. Over a plain black v-neck shirt, she wore a black and white tweed blazer. Kate thought that she looked grown up and sophisticated.

By the time that she was done getting dressed and putting on he make up, Hermione was the only person left in their dormitory. Kate, being nervous that Hermione would start lecturing her again, started to quicken her pace at getting her new Vans skater sneakers on. Hermione, however, had different plans.

"Kate," Hermione said. Kate looked up at her, wondering what she would say.

"Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. You were not really bossing the house elf around. In fact, you were being quite polite. It is just that ever since my fourth year, when I was at the Quidditch World Cup, and I saw a house elf being horribly mistreated, I get a bit defensive over them. They never stand up for themselves, so I feel that I have to do it for them," Hermione apologized.

Kate was just staring at Hermione in awe. As soon as she met Hermione, she knew that she wasn't the type of person who would easily admit when she was wrong, yet here she was, apologizing to Kate. Remembering her manners, Kate replied, "That is alright, Hermione. Thank you very much for apologizing. I must admit, it was quite unexpected."

Hermione gave a nervous laugh and said, "Your welcome, just don't expect it all the time. Well, do you want to head down to our classes?"

The two girls headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When they had reached their destination, they saw that the hall was filled with noisy students. Kate quickly sat down with Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

Suddenly, much to Kate's surprise, a large group of owls flew into the dining hall. Kate quickly spotted her own pure black owl, Midnight, coming towards her with a large parcel clutched in his talons. Midnight dropped the parcel so that it did not land in her i pain au chocolat. /i 

The parcel was wrapped in a lovely gold wrapping paper, and tied with a burgundy ribbon. Kate carefully opened it, unlike Harry and Ron, who were shredding their parcels. On top was a note from Kate's parents.

i Dearest Kate,

How is your new school? We were, of course, appalled to find out that you were placed in that horrid Gryffindor house. We talked to your headmaster, asking him to switch you into Slytherin, but he refused. He claimed that your house was permanent, except for the case of married couples. If two students are ever married, then one must switch into the others house. However that is not the case for you yet. Perhaps in the future, though. There are a number of excellent gentlemen who we are already looking into. Don't worry, dear. We shall make sure that whoever you marry is fabulously wealthy as well as wonderfully connected. There is already one particular person whom we have in mind. Don't waste your time asking who it is though, for it will be a smashing surprise. Well, now we must say farewell. And please remember to bring honor to the Aberdeen name. Any nonsense will not be tolerated.

Your Parents,

Mother and Father /i 

This letter angered Kate. How dare they try to set her up with an arranged marriage? Most pure blood families always have arranged marriages, which was a fact of life for the elite and wealthy. Kate, however, had always thought that some how she could escape this fate.

What scared Kate even more than the idea that it was an arranged marriage and that she wasn't marrying her true love, was that most pure bloods were snobs. She would be forced to live the life of a house wife in a cold manor, where she could never have a job. A rule that all pure blood families went by was that an heir was needed by the time that the wife turned twenty one. Kate didn't want that life, but had no choice but to take it.

Harry, noticing Kate's angry expression when she read her letter, asked her about it. In response, Kate shoved the letter to him and directed her attention to the nearly forgotten parcel in front of her.

What she pulled out of the carefully unwrapped box was extraordinary. In fact, Kate took one look at it and quickly shoved it back into its box before anyone could have a chance to see what it was.

Meanwhile, Harry, who had not noticed her gift, was shocked about the letter. Ron and Hermione were wearing identical looks of surprise, revealing that they too had read the letter.

"You are going to have an arranged marriage?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes," replied Kate. "It is the fate of all wealthy pure blood wizards. I, personally, disagree with it very much. Believe me, if I could, I would refuse to do it though."

"Why don't you just run away after you leave Hogwarts or something?" Ron suggested.

"I can't run away and I can't refuse. There is an old and ancient curse placed on these traditional arranged marriages. If you run away, or refuse, the rest of your life will be cursed. You will soon fall into debt, and start to have mysterious 'accidents'. My cousin tried to escape an arranged marriage, and quickly fell into debt. The loan sharks got her, and her body was found in the ocean," Kate said darkly.

"Well perhaps it won't be that bad. Look at the book Vanity Fair," Hermione said, referencing the book that she had seen on Kate's nightstand. "George Osbourne and Amelia Sedley had an arranged marriage."

"Oh, great comparison, Hermione!" Kate said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "George died in the battle of Waterloo, leaving Amelia all alone in the world. Anyway, even if he had lived, he would have left her. Remember the note that he gave to Rebecca? 'Save me from a dreary fate and come with me so we can dance across Europe'? I don't really fancy having my life like that."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Hermione mumbled under her breath as she blushed at her mistake.

Before they could talk any longer about Kate's problems, the large grandfather clock started ringing, indicating that it was time to go. The four friends got out of their chairs and left for Transfiguration, their first class of the day.

Authors note: I really like this chapter. Are you wondering what was in the parcel? I guess that you'll just have to read onto find out!

b Please review

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Ashmee- I know what you mean. It kept getting stuck in my head and I almost started singing it in math class!

MerndaSaysDownWithWormtail- thanks! I'm doing a Draco/ other character fanfic because Kate is kind of modeled after me. I love Draco so much though!

OverRatedRocker- Actually, for a girl 5'9" is sort of tall. I know that because I am that height and I am the tallest girl in my whole school. I don't know though, maybe I go to school with a bunch of short people!


	9. Chapter 9: American Idiot

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

"Welcome to another year of Transfiguration. I hope that you summers were pleasant, and that you restarting this new year fresh. This year we will be focusing on human transfiguration," said the stern voice of Professor McGonagall.

The desks in the Transfiguration room seated two, and were aligned in two columns. Kate shared a desk with Hermione, and sat behind a desk shared by Harry and Ron. In the desk across from them, sat Draco Malfoy with a boy named Blaise Zabini.

Hermione, who had already taken a tremendous amount of notes, was flailing her hand in the air. When she caught McGonagall's attention, she said, "Does that mean that we are becoming Animagus'?"

"No, Miss Granger, an Animagus is a permanent change, but we are only learning temporary changes. However, if any of you wish to become an Animagus, I shall offer a special course in which you may learn to do so legally. The sign up sheet is on my door if you wish to join," McGonagall explained.

McGonagall began to talk about the rules, and her expectations of the class. Kate started to doodle in her notebook. After what seemed like a few minutes later, but was actually forty five minutes later, the bell rang, indicating that class was over. Kate gathered her things and began to walk with her friends.

"Hey you guys," began Hermione, who was clearly excited about something. "Do you want to sign up for the Animagus course with me? I think that it would be fascinating as well as extremely useful."

"Alright, it sounds like fun. I wonder what animal I will change into," Kate said as she wrote her name on to the list.

By the time that Kate, Harry, Hermione, and Ron had finished adding their names, a small line had formed. Draco, Blaise, Lavender, Parvati, and other students whom Kate did not know added their names as well. It looked as if this would be a quite popular course.

"So, Kate how do you like Transfiguration?" Hermione questioned as they walked down the corridor on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was their next class.

"I suppose that it was alright. Did she mention anything of great importance? I kind of got caught up in my doodling." Kate replied.

Hermione gave a disapproving look as she said, "You weren't paying attention? Please tell me that you at least took some notes! I already have to deal with these two dunderheads never taking notes, but please tell me that you at least pay attention."

"Hey! We are not dunderheads!" Exclaimed Ron indignantly.

"Fine, you are not a dunderhead. You are a Neanderthal!" Said Hermione triumphantly.

"Well at least I am not a know it all bookworm who spends all of her time in the library like you are!" Shouted Ron, who had gone as red as his hair.

"Excuse me? I am NOT a know it all book worm! And so what if I spend a lot of time in the library? At least I know how to read. I am surprised that you can even string two words together, you are so thick!" yelled Hermione.

"Well you are too smart. You never think of anything except 'Oh No! Harry and Ron did not finish their homework! They are doomed for the rest of their lives!' and 'Oh my goodness! The library is closed today! I have no more reason to live, for I shall wither and die without books!" Ron said, mimicking Hermione.

"Oh that's great coming from the person that only thinks 'I wonder what's for dinner today?' and 'Harry, why is there no more food for me to eat'!" Hermione shouted and walked ahead to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ron followed her, continuing to argue.

"Wow. Do they always bicker like that?" Kate asked Harry.

"Yeah, unfortunately. They never stop, and it is bloody annoying," Harry replied.

"They sound like an old married couple. But it is obvious that Ron likes Hermione, and she likes him. I take it that Hermione has not realized that Ron likes her yet?" Kate questioned.

Harry shook his head and said, "No, she is too absorbed in her books to notice that. She is supposedly the 'smartest witch of her age', but she doesn't even notice that Ron likes her. Well, here we are at Defense Against the Dark Arts. I wonder who the new teacher is."

Kate sat down with Hermione, and Harry sat with Ron. A rather young female teacher stood in front of them. She was rather short, with electrifying blue hair. She was wearing bright purple robes that made her hair stand out even more. Harry, Hermione, and Ron seemed to know her, as they smiled when they saw her.

"Hello everybody. My name is Professor Tonks, but you can feel free to simply call me Tonks. I shall be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I am an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, and am here to teach you useful defenses. This class will be much different from last year when you had that old crack head teach you nothing but rubbish from some book." She said.

The class broke into excited whispers. Clearly, this teacher, Tonks, was not your usual teacher. It appeared as if this class would be relatively light hearted and enjoyable.

"Do you know her?" Kate questioned her friends.

Ron turned around and answered, "Yeah, she works at the -"

"The Ministry with Ron's dad," Hermione said, glaring daggers at Ron, stopping him in mid sentence.

"Well, I suppose that we should get started. Books away, please, and wands out. Before we start, however, I feel that it is important for all of you to know how serious this year is. The War of the Wizards has just begun, and there is no better time to pay attention in this class. Some of these very spells can save your life if you are ever attacked." Tonks said quite seriously.

"Today we are going to learn the Patronus Charm. It is used to drive away and protect you from Dementors. The Dementors will feed upon the Patronus, rather than on your soul. This harm will be particularly important because of recent events. The Dementors leaving Azkaban to join He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a highly dangerous situation, and the ministry believes that it is best for you to learn to protect yourselves from these foul beasts." Tonks continued.

"Now, to begin, you must think of a very happy thought. Make sure that it is the happiest thought that you have. Does everybody have a happy thought?" she asked.

Everybody was concentrating on finding their happiest thought. Kate thought of the time in America when she had her first kiss. The boy was quite handsome, but he was a muggle. That was when Kate was in her rebelling phase. However, Kate did not know that subconsciously, she was thinking of when she fell into Draco's arms on the train.

"Alright, now, concentrate very hard, and say 'Expecto Patronum!" Tonks said, demonstrating as a silver horse pranced out of her wand.

"Expecto Patronum!" bellowed the whole class. Silver figures filled the room. Hermione had a silver otter, but Harry's was the brightest and most distinctive. Harry's Patronus was a silver stag, who trotted along until it disappeared.

Kate had a silver dolphin emerge out of her wand. This was fitting, since a dolphin was her favorite animal. Meanwhile, Draco was gazing at his own Patronus, a silver scaled dragon who flew around the room.

For the rest of the class, Tonks talked about different scenario's on when to use a Patronus. When class was over, it was time to go to lunch in the Great Hall.

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Authors note: Ha! Ron and Hermione have had their first fight of the story! And Tonks is back! Like it?

Ashmee-


	10. Chapter 10: What I like About You

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Kate sat down at the Gryffindor table with her friends. She was sitting in between Harry and Hermione, and Ron was sitting on the other side of Hermione. The two of them had obviously forgotten about their previous fight. Sitting across from Kate was a rather handsome boy whom she did not know.

Then, as if fate stepped in to intervene, the boy spoke t her. He had an Irish accent that made him stand out. "Who are you? I don't believe that we have met yet."

"My name is Kate. Kate Aberdeen. I just moved here from New York," she said, smiling.

"Hello Kate, my name is Seamus Finnegan. You are the new girl aren't you?" He asked with a grin on his face.

"Yes, I am the new girl. I am guessing that Hogwarts does not get that many new girls, huh?" She replied.

"No, not really. So, you are an American, eh? Except for the accent, I would not have known the difference," Seamus said, still smiling. It was then that Kate noticed that his drink looked rather odd.

"Thanks. What are you drinking?" Kate questioned.

Seamus looked around cautiously before answering. "It's rum. Ever since my first year, I have been trying to turn water into rum, but I never was able to get it until over the summer. Next time us Gryffindor's have a party, we will have the right drinks."

Kate laughed out loud at this. Seamus claimed that he could turn water into rum, a claim that was clearly impossible. He seemed to be very funny, as well as good looking.

Meanwhile, down the Gryffindor table, Ginny Weasly, Ron's younger sister, was glaring at Kate. She had first begun to go out with Seamus at the end of last year, but he had broken it off. Now here he was, flirting with the new girl, Kate. It was horrible.

Ginny Weasly was not the only person watching, however. Draco Malfoy was staring at Kate, who appeared to be flirting with Finnegan! The idea was preposterous, but for some reason, Draco was hurt.

"Hey, mate, you alright?" Draco's best friend Blaise asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking that Pothead will be even more 'important' with the war and everything," Draco lied, still staring at Kate.

Blaise followed Draco's gaze and put the two together. "The new girl? You like the new girl? Well, she is pretty hot. Too bad that she is flirting with Finnegan."

"Her name is Kate Aberdeen and she just moved here from America. Her parents are good friends with my own. We have known each other ever since we were little," Draco said offhandedly.

"Aberdeen? As in Aberdeen Brooms? The makers of the new line of Firebolt's?" Blaise questioned with great interest.

"Yeah, that is her family. I bet that she is a brilliant Quidditch player. I wonder if she will try out for the house team." Draco replied vaguely.

"It will be rotten luck if she does. She must be superb at Quidditch. Speaking of Quidditch, did you get the new Firebolt XXL?" Blaise asked.

"Yeah, I just got it the other day. It is so much better than my old Nimbus 2001. That was a piece of rubbish. I can't wait for Quidditch to start up again," Draco said.

"That will be fun. Well, we better be going to class," Blaise said as he got up to go to class.

Draco watched as Kate got out of her seat and left with the Golden Trio. She was heading to potions, and Draco only hoped that Snape would not be as mean to her as he was to her friends. She was an Aberdeen after all. Everyone knew that the Aberdeen's were one of the most powerful and influential families in all of Britain.

When all the students arrived in Potions class, they discovered that Snape was just as grouchy as ever. The class found this out first hand when he decided to place them in assigned seats.

"Everyone line up against that wall! There will be no silly fooling around this year! You will have assigned seats so that you will actually pay attention in this class! Now line up and sit in your seat when I call your name!" Snape announced.

Kate lined up along with the rest of the class. She hoped that she would get to sit with Hermione. But by the looks of this long nosed, greasy haired man, this would be too much to ask.

"Potter! You will be sitting with Malfoy! Weasly! You will be seated with Zabini! Granger! You will sit with Goyle! Finnegan! You are to sit with Crabbe!" and so the list of names went on until Kate was left standing with a girl who very much reminded her of a pug.

"Parkinson! You will sit with Aberdeen!" shouted Snape. After he read Kate's name, he looked surprised.

He walked over to Kate and said, "Aberdeen? Are you in any relation to Aberdeen Brooms?"

Kate had a mixture of surprise and disgust on her face that this slimy looking man was talking to her. "Yes, actually, that would be my family. Why?"

"I know your parents rather well. They are... old friends. So, you are their daughter. Well, it's a shame that you are not in Slytherin. I imagine that your parents are quite upset that you were placed in Gryffindor. Oh, well, there is nothing that can be done," Snape said.

When the horrid Potions master walked away, Pansy the pug faced girl started talking. "So you are an Aberdeen? That must mean that you are really rich!"

"I guess that you could say so," Kate said in a confused tone.

"Oh my God, that is so awesome. My name is Pansy. I think that you and I should go shopping together! I know where the best shops are where there is no mudblood filth. It will be so much fun!" Pansy squealed.

"Mudblood filth? What does that mean?" Kate said, pretending to be like Jessica Simpson.

"You mean that they don't have the word 'mudblood' in America? That is odd. Well, a mudblood is a dirty person, like Granger, who was born to a muggle family. They are not pure bloods like us, so they are beneath us," Pansy explained.

"OH! Now I get it! You are one of those arrogant snobs who think that anyone who is not a pure blood is filth. Well, I got news for you. You are the dirt for being so closed minded," Kate said coldly.

Pansy appeared to be horrified at this shocking statement. "But you are an Aberdeen! Everybody knows that the Aberdeen's are one of the most powerful pure blood families around! Anyway, how dare you say that about ME?"

Draco, who had been listening in on the two girls conversation, turned around and said, "Maybe she said that about you because you're a stupid cow."

Pansy's eyes filled with tears as she said, "Drakie? How could you say such a thing? Don't you love me?"

His cool blue eyes turned into a steely grey as he yelled, "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME DRAKIE! AND NO, I DON'T LOVE YOU, I CAN'T STAND YOU, LET ALONE LOVE YOU; WHICH IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO KEEP TELLING YOU!"

The tears that had been threatening to spill over now flowed freely down her face as Pansy ran out of the dungeon. Kate looked in amazement at Draco. Somehow, even though she hated Pansy, Kate felt quite angry at Draco. He had just been unbelievably cruel, and Kate did not like it at all.

"Draco Malfoy! How could you be so incredibly mean? Yeah, I know that Pansy is annoying, but you were down right cruel!" Kate said, glaring at the blonde boy.

Throughout the rest of Potions, Kate ignored Draco. She had other things on her mind, including the party in the Gryffindor Common Room tonight.

Authors note: I know, I know. This is a Draco/Hermione story! But how can I resist a chance for more drama?

Anna-Bananna890- No, you didn't sound mean at all! You gave constructive critism, which is really helpful. If you simply said, 'it was stupid', then that would have been mean. But I will try to make the characters sound more realistic! 

Caboodle- Thank you very much for the review, I appreciate it!


	11. Chapter 11: Party Like Its 1999

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

"Hermione! I don't have anything to wear!" Kate whined as she pulled out every single article of clothing that she owned.

Hermione looked at Kate over the thick book that she was currently reading. "Oh, Kate; I am sure that you can find something to wear. Look at all of those clothes that you have."

"Well, what are you going to wear?" Kate asked.

"I am going to wear what I am wearing right now. Why should I change? It is just a party with old friends, it's not like it's the Oscars," Hermione said.

Kate looked at Hermione's currant outfit. She was wearing a tweed skirt and a white blouse. Instead of wearing a necklace, she wore her Gryffindor tie. Just as Kate was about to make a comment on her outfit, Parvati burst into the room.

"We need to get ready for the party! Hermione, what are you doing? Now is not a time for reading. Clothes need to be tried on, and make up needs to be applied!" Parvati said practically in one breath.

Hermione continued to read, ignoring Parvati. "Hermione simply refuses to change her clothes. What do you think that I should wear? I can not find a single thing!" Kate said.

Parvati walked over to Kate and started looking through the clothes that were piled on her bed. She seemed to be looking for something, but could not find it. "How come you don't have any pink clothes?"

Kate made a face of slight disgust and said, "I hate pink. It is too... preppy. Not too mention, pink is makes me want to puke."

"Well, all you have are dark colors! I never knew that a person could own so much black. Oh well, I think that you should wear this," Parvati said as she pulled out a black leather mini skirt and an emerald colored off the shoulder shirt.

"I usually don't wear mini skirts, or any skirts for that matter, but alright. But if I wear that, then you have to wear this," Kate replied as she tossed Parvati a black tube top. She grabbed a pink lace skirt off of Parvati's dresser.

Parvati smirked and began to change into her new set of clothes. When both girls were finished changing, they faced the problem of shoes, make up, and accessories. Parvati began to rummage through her closet for shoes and Kate looked in her vanity for jewelry.

"Ha!" Parvati exclaimed triumphantly, as she held out a pair of silver kitten heel's that were encrusted with emerald rhinestones. "These would go perfect with your outfit, Kate. Now I just have to figure out what shoes I should wear."

Kate smiled knowingly and pulled a pair of black leather stiletto boots out of her own closet. The boots would go up to Parvati's knees, making her seem taller than she was. It was most certainly perfect.

Finally, Kate applied some black eyeliner, along with grey eye shadow, creating the mysterious smoky eyes look. She put on a rather dark pink lipstick with silver iridescence lip gloss. She was ready to party.

The three girls walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the Gryffindor common room. Kate's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the room below her. The room was amazing; it looked like a club that you would find in Los Angeles or New York City. The walls were lined with neon lights, and the ceiling was filled with black lights. The cozy couches and overstuffed armchairs were pushed up against the wall, creating a dance floor. Above the dance floor hung a giant disco ball.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Seamus was looking up at the balcony that led into the girls dormitories. Three girls had just stepped out. Hermione looked like her usual self. Parvati looked pretty enough, he supposed. But the third girl looked incredible.

Kate looked like a movie star. Seamus' jaw dropped, and his eyes grew as wide as saucers. Her lovely green eyes sparkled, and her smile lit up the room. She began to walk down the staircase, the perfect picture of beauty and grace.

Kate looked around the room as she descended the staircase. She felt like a celebrity, like she was famous. Suddenly, just as Kate's luck would have it, she stumbled at the bottom step. Since she was so tall, and therefore not used to wearing heels, she prepared to fall face first onto the floor. However, just as she was about to hit the floor, a pair of strong arms caught her.

After she realized that she was safe, Kate found herself staring into the rich, dark eyes of Seamus Finnegan. The two teens simply stood there for a while, gazing into each others eyes until Ginny rudely bumped into them. They fell on top of each other, surprised.

Then, realizing how odd that they must have looked, both Kate and Seamus exploded into laughter. Finally, once the laughter wore off, Kate got off of Seamus and stood up.

"Well, this night has gotten off to an interesting start, wouldn't you say?" Seamus said, still laughing.

"Was that part of your plan? To sweep me off my feet? Because if it was, it sure worked," Kate replied.

Seamus blushed slightly and said, "Yeah, sorry about that. You look amazing tonight, by the way."

This time, it was Kate's turn to blush. "Thanks, but it's nothing. You look smashing tonight as well," she said, eyeing his outfit. He was wearing baggy jeans and a Sex Pistols t-shirt.

"You like it?" Seamus said, grinning. "Most people in here have no idea who the Sex Pistols is; and those who do don't care for them."

"They are great for a muggle band," Kate agreed. "My favorite band is The Clash, and they have a lot in common. My favorite song is 'Train in Vain' by the Clash."

"Yeah, that is a good song. My favorite song is 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey. I have always loved that song," Seamus replied.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by McGonagall entering the room. "Get to bed all of you! It is much too late for you to be having a party. Twelve thirty indeed! You have classes tomorrow, and yet you party? Not in my house you don't. Now get to bed or you will lose house points."

She pulled out her wand and muttered some spell that made all o the neon lights and the disco ball disappear. All the decorations vanished and without saying another word, she spun on her heel and left the students to go to bed.

"Well, good night, Kate. I will see you in classes tomorrow," Seamus said. Then he turned and walked up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

Kate soon followed up to her own dormitory to get some sleep. Her first day of classes wasn't half bad, she thought. If everyday were like today, then this year at Hogwarts would be simply wonderful.

Authors note: I know, I know, I haven't updated in forever. That is because I have just gotten back from vacation. I went to this really cool indoor water park, and now my body is all beat up. Well, as always, please read and REVIEW.

Ashmee- Oh come on, Jessica Simpson is ok. Sure, she is really ditzy, but she is an ok singer.

Jo Raven- Your welcome, as I said, I LOVE that story and the movie.

Crazyloverofboys- thank you. Don't worry, I'll keep writing:)


	12. Chapter 12: Take Me Out

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

The first couple of weeks were just as good as Kate's first day. She got along with Hermione, Ron, and Harry without anymore quarrels. However, there was something a bit odd about them.

More than a few times, Harry had received mysterious letters. Each time, he would scan through the letter, than stuff it into his pockets. Later, he would discuss the contents of letters with Hermione and Ron.

Kate knew this because one time, she went to the library during lunch. She intended to see if they had her favorite book, 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austin. While she was wandering the shelves, she heard snippets of whispered conversation, wafting in from the back stacks.

"They said that things will get even worse. Even Harry won't be able to do anything," Kate heard Hermione whisper urgently.

"Oh, come on Hermione. Everyone knows that it is getting worse, I am just mad that the Order won't tell us anything else," Ron replied.

"I am surprised that Hermione did not point out the answer yet," Harry said quietly. "Nothing is safe to write in letters. Letters can be intercepted and read, even if they are in code. You should know that from what happened with Umbridge last year."

"Yes, well, we really must be quiet about all this. The Order wouldn't be too happy if anybody found out. I just fell so weird about lying to Kate everyday. She has become one of my best friends," Hermione whispered.

"Well, of course we can't trust her. We have only known her for about a month, so we can't exactly tell her confidential secrets," Ron replied.

"I don't care, I still feel bad about lying to her. I mean, Harry, you didn't like it last summer when Ron and I kept you in the dark, now did you?" Hermione demanded.

"No, I did not like it, but it was necessary. You could not have told me things, in case that information got into the wrong hands. Now, I agree with you that it is a little weird to be lying to Kate. I feel the guilt too. But, for all we know, when we told her, she could be an imposter who took the Polyjuice Potion. Or perhaps someone could be using the Imperius curse and force her to tell them what we said," Harry said.

"Harry, now you sound just like Moody," Ron replied.

"You're right. I am sure that Kate would be furious if she found out, but it is a needed precaution," Hermione said.

Kate held back a small gasp when she heard her name. What was so secret that her friends had to lie to her everyday? Hermione had even said that Kate was one of her best friends, so why couldn't they let her in on the secret?

Instead of walking boldly over to them, and demanding to know what was going on, Kate turned around and ran back to her dormitory. Perhaps she would question Hermione later, after she had some time to figure things out.

It was then that she ran into Seamus again. Still a bit upset about finding out that her 'friends' were keeping secrets from her, Kate ran into the Gryffindor common room, expecting to go upstairs and listen to her Simple Plan CD, which always made her feel better when she was mad. Instead, she found Seamus lying lazily on a crimson overstuffed couch, reading a book.

When Seamus saw her, he quickly put his book aside and stood up. "Hey Kate, what's up? I haven't seen you around much lately," he said.

"Yeah, I know, I have been busy with focusing on my classes and stuff. Are you going to Animagus club this afternoon? Today is the first meeting, and I think that it would be fun to be able to become an animal, you know?" Kate replied.

"I know. It'll be pretty cool. What animal will you choose?" Seamus asked.

"I don't know yet. There are so many choices! I mean, I can hardly choose one," Kate said.

"I know what you mean. Well anyway, what are you doing this weekend?" Seamus questioned nervously.

"Nothing that I know of," Kate replied, wondering what he was getting at.

"Well, tomorrow is the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year," Seamus said quietly.

"So I have heard. What's the big deal about this Hogsmeade place, anyway? It seems as if everyone is making a big fuss about it," Kate said.

"Hogsmeade is the only all wizarding village in all of Britain. There are lots of fun things to do, such as Zonko's Joke Shop, the Shrieking Shack, and the Three Broomsticks. And I was thinking that it could be fun if you and I went together," Seamus said hopefully.

Kate's face was illuminated by a glowing smile as she replied, "Sure, that would be great!"

"So I will meet you after breakfast tomorrow, ok?" Seamus said happily.

"That is fine by me," Kate said as she started to walk up to her dormitory. She couldn't believe it. Seamus had just asked her out on a date! Kate had never gone on a date nor had a boyfriend in her life. She hadn't even ever been kissed. Tomorrow was sure to be full of exciting surprises and new experiences.

Authors note: I know, this chapter is kind of short as well as really lame. I just have writers block? Don't you hate it when you get writers block?

Ashmee- What type of music do you like? I like classic rock and alternative. My favorite bands are The Clash and Simple Plan.

Crazyloverofboys- sorry! I don't mean for it to be confusing!


	13. Chapter 13: First Date

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

The next morning Kate awoke feeling as if butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach. Today she was going on a date with Seamus! She hoped that Hogsmeade was as nice as everybody claimed that it was.

Last night, in their dormitories, the girls were discussing the remarkable Hogsmeade. Parvati and Lavender were only interested in telling how many boys they had snogged there, but Hermione's tales were funny.

Hermione told about the time when Draco Malfoy was in the middle of teasing Ron, when Harry, who was hidden, started to throw mud at him. Not knowing where the mysterious mud had come from, Draco fled the village, looking as if he were about to wet himself. This story made Kate laugh quite a bit.

Kate thought of this as she dressed herself for her date. Since she was not the girly type, Kate decided to ditch the idea of wearing a skirt, and instead opted for her black corduroy pants. To go along, Kate wore a royal blue shirt with a sweetheart neckline, and her regular Vans skater shoes, since she did not know what they would be doing in Hogsmeade.

After applying her usual smoky eye look, Kate went downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. She enjoyed a quick meal of French toast and bacon, Kate went to the large doorway of the Great Hall to wait for Seamus, and was pleased to find that he was already there.

"Hey Kate," Seamus greeted her, wearing another, yet different Sex Pistols shirt, "You ready to go on your first trip to Hogsmeade?"

"Well, I've been hearing an awful lot about this Hogsmeade of yours. You should know that I am really looking forward to this, so you have a lot to live up to," Kate said, in her best imitation of an old fashioned southern belle as they started walking towards the train that would take them into Hogsmeade.

"Don't worry, I have got the day all planned out. I'm thinking that a tour of the village would be nice," Seamus replied as he held the door open for Kate as they boarded the Hogwarts Express, which would shortly be on its way to the all magic village of Hogsmeade.

While Kate and Seamus were walking down to the train, holding hands, Draco Malfoy was sitting in his usual compartment with Blaise Zabini, staring at the couple.

"So you still like the new girl, huh?" Blaise asked, noticing Draco's look of sadness as Kate and Seamus walked by, finding a compartment with Pothead, Weasel- Bee, and the mudblood.

"School's been in session for nearly a month, so technically she's not that new anymore. Anyway, she has a name," Draco muttered, still in a bad mood.

"Fine, so you still like KATE, huh? It sucks that she is with Finnegan. She is actually sort of hot. I wouldn't mind going out with her," Blaise said, carefully watching Draco's reaction.

"Don't be an idiot, Blaise. You don't stand a chance with her! I mean, as if she would ever go out with someone like you," Draco said sharply.

"Oh really? Yet you think that she'll go out with you?" Blaise snorted.

"Shut up," Draco said quietly, a look of hurt on his face that Blaise had never seen before.

"Whoa... sorry, mate. I have never seen you like a girl so much. But I have to ask, why her? I mean, you could have any other girl in the whole school. So, why her?" Blaise asked.

Draco drew a deep breath and said, "Kate is... different. She's not like other girls. Other girls do nothing but flirt with me, and act all sickly sweet, but not Kate. You should have heard her yell at me when I insulted her friends."

Blaise raised an eyebrow skeptically and replied, "So you think that her yelling at you is a turn on?"

"No, its just that it can be a bit annoying when the other girls won't do anything except agree with me, even if they hate it. I swear, there were a few moments when it seemed as if she liked me, but I guess that since she is with Seamus, I just imagined it. Anyway, her yelling at me is better than Pansy Pugface simpering," Draco explained.

Then, as if some cosmic force arranged it, the compartment door opened and none other than Pansy Parkinson, who indeed did resemble a pug, walked in. She was wearing the shortest mini skirt imaginable, and a scoop neck tank top that did not leave much left to the imagination.

"Speak of the slut," Blaise muttered so that only Draco could hear him.

"Drakie! I thought that I might find you here! You left without me, and I was afraid for a minute that w couldn't go to Hogsmeade together. Did you miss me?" Pansy asked in a way that she thought was seductive, but obviously was not. She seemed to have completely forgotten the whole incident in potions when Draco yelled at her.

"Umm... oops! I forgot that I have to spend my day studying. That new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher doesn't cut me much slack. So, we have to go now, bye!" Draco said quickly, and ran out as fast as he could.

As they started to walk the main street of Hogsmeade, Draco muttered to Blaise, "Why did I ever take her to that stupid ball?"

"Maybe because your parents forced you to," Blaise reminded him.

"Yes, well remind me never to make that mistake again," Draco said as they walked into Zonko's Joke shop.

"So what do you think of Hogsmeade?" Seamus asked Kate.

The two of them had just finished touring the quaint little village. Honeyduke's was amazing, and Zonko's was full of strange, but funny, pranks. The Shrieking Shack was spooky enough, and the whole village was adorable, she thought.

"I love it. It is most certainly the cutest little town that I have ever seen," Kate replied cheerfully.

"It's a town, not a puppy!" Seamus laughed.

"Yes, well, it still is cute ," Kate declared as she shivered slightly in the autumn breeze.

"Here," Seamus said as he wrapped his leather trench coat around her.

"Thanks. I also enjoyed being with you," Kate whispered.

Seamus grinned and replied, "I liked being with you too. Maybe we can do this again sometime."

"That sounds great!" Kate said happily as she threw her arms around Seamus in a deep embrace.

"Good. Now that that's settled, let's go for a drink of butterbeer in the Three broom Sticks!" Seamus said as Hogwarts newest couple started down the picturesque lane.

AUTHORS NOTE: HA! Seamus and Kate's first date! I know its DM/HG, but perhaps you'll see that in the future. Right now Draco's jealous! I love drama!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	14. Chapter 14: Big plans

Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story. 

Many days later, Kate was still thinking about her date with Seamus. However, right now she had more important things, such as the prefect meeting, to pay attention to. Since the sorting hat placed her in that 'horrid' Gryffindor, her parents used their remaining influence to get her to become a school prefect.

Kate entered the crimson, silver and black room only to see that it was already occupied. At a round table, much like that in the tale of King Arthur, sat a group of other students. Hermione was sitting, all ready to take notes, next to Ron. A bunch of other students who were unknown to Kate also were seated at the table, waiting for the meeting to begin. Kate sat down in the empty seat that was between Hermione and Draco. Pansy Pugface was next to Draco, gazing longingly at him, fluttering her eyelashes in hopes that he would notice her.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall rushed into the room. "Attention prefects! Due to an unexpected situation, neither Professor Dumbledore nor I will be able to assist you in tonight's assignment. I am pleased to inform you that Hogwarts shall have a dance. You will decide on what to do, and when it shall be. I wish that I didn't have to say this, but I must remind you all to behave! Now, I must leave. Good bye."

McGonagall left just as quickly as she came, leaving the prefects a bit dazed and confused.

"Alright, so we are having a dance. Does anybody have any ideas on a theme?" Hermione said, getting down to business right away.

"How about a luau? I went to one of those when my family went on a holiday to Hawaii," said a girl about Kate's age with strawberry blonde hair. Hermione dutifully wrote down the suggestion.

"Babes in bikinis? I'm fine with that," Draco smirked, and it seemed as if all of the boys were in agreement.

"Somehow I don't think that any of the teachers would be too pleased with that," Hermione mentioned.

"Awwwww, come on Hermione! There is nothing wrong with it," Ron whined.

"Alright, but do you really want to see some of the girls who go to this school wearing bathing suits?" Hermione asked, which shut all of the boys up.

"What if we had a ball? You know, where we can wear ball gowns and tuxes. It can be Oscar Night," Another girl suggested.

"What do you mean 'Oscar night'? Who's Oscar?" Draco questioned.

"It's a muggle awards show. Actors and actresses get all dressed up and win awards for their performances in movies," the girl explained.

"Nah, the last dance was a ball. Let's do something different," Ron said.

"How about Sexy Lingerie night?" Pansy Pugface suggested, clearly already envisioning her outfit.

"No, Pansy. It's a school function, not a brothel," Hermione said, with everyone nodding in agreement, not wanting to see Pansy in any sort of lingerie, let alone sexy lingerie.

"I've got an idea. What do you all think of a masquerade ball?" Kate said quietly.

"It could work..." one person said.

"I think that it's bloody brilliant," Draco announced. "This way people can choose how to dress."

"Is everyone in agreement? Okay, masquerade ball it is," Hermione said.

"How about we have one rule though? Everyone must wear a mask or in some way disguise their identity. This way no one will be rejected because of who they are or what house they belong to," Kate said.

"Perfect!" Hermione exclaimed, and with that, the meeting was adjourned.

The next morning, fliers were posted all around school. Students stood in the corridors talking about the coming up masquerade ball between classes. Teachers chatted away happily about what to wear. All of Hogwarts was full of cheer.

"It will be so fun, and it is only a few weeks away!" Parvati squealed excitedly.

"So we can dress up as whatever we want to be?" Lavender questioned.

"Yes, as long as it is school appropriate. Basically, don't wear anything that you think Pansy would wear," Hermione said.

"Ah, I wonder what Pansy Pugface will show up in," Kate laughed.

"I bet that she'll be dressed up as the Playboy Bunny," Parvati giggled.

"Yeah, or like one of those girls from that movie Mean Girls," Lavender said as Hermione burst out laughing.

"Mean... Girls... Pansy... doesn't... look... like... Lindsey... Lohan!" Hermione gasped in between laughs.

"Speaking of costumes, I wonder what I should be. I wonder when we'll have an opportunity to go shopping for them," Parvati pointed out.

"Well we certainly can not skip school! That would be unethical and just plain wrong! Skip school to go shopping indeed..." Hermione said angrily.

"Whoa Hermione, chill out! We never mentioned anything about skipping school. I was thinking that perhaps this weekend we could all go shopping," Lavender suggested.

"I have an idea. But I don't think that you would approve of it Hermione," Kate said nervously.

"What is it? Is it something bad? Tell us," Parvati said, her voice filled with curiosity.

"Well, this weekend my parents are out of town. They have been visiting there villa in Italy all month. We could spend the weekend there, and do our shopping," Kate suggested.

"Kate!" Hermione said in a scandalized voice. "That would be wrong!"

"Oh, come off it Hermione. I think that it sounds like fun. Are you sure that your parents won't be there, Kate?" Parvati asked.

"Don't worry. They'll be detained by business for a couple of more weeks. So this Friday we can take the Knight Bus if you want to come," Kate replied.

"That sounds great!" Lavender and Parvati said in unison.

"Okay. Hermione, what about you? Please come, it will be fun!" Kate pleaded.

"Fine. But I'm only going because I need a costume and don't know when else I'll have time to get one!" Hermione said grudgingly

AUTHORS NOTE: ooooooooooh, a masquerade ball! Okay, okay, I know they're over done but how can I resist?


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